These Are The Events That Birth Constellations
by LifeCycles
Summary: Uhhhh... First creative writing I have done that wasn't an assignment in 11th grade English. Trying something outside of photography. WizxAkari romance, sprinkled with sarcasm, citric fruits ripening circa Chapter 10, for lemon-limeade (always tastes better when there's reason to have refreshments). Anything this may be rated M for is presented in a tasteful manner, I promise.
1. Introduction

**I do not own or have anything to do with the Harvest Moon series. **

**Please enjoy, many chapters to ensue. Though I haven't planned an ending yet...**

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Another beautiful night. A surprisingly chilled summer breeze blew through the trees, the sound of leaves and needles gently colliding made it seem like the breeze was hushing even the crickets, beckoning the forest to sleep, "Shhhhhhhhh…" Just a few days and the full effects of autumn would become unmistakably apparent, the flora and fauna preparing themselves to enter the deep sleep brought upon by winter.

Akari strolled through the Fugue Forest, there was large clearing in the center of the dense trees, walled off on all sides- No where to look but up. This was her preferred star gazing spot.

She had spent countless days and nights in the forest since she had moved to Castanet earlier that year. The air in the forest was made cool and crisp by the breath of the foliage, and the towering trees absorbed and nullified all of the incoming sound from the town. Here there was truly privacy from the townsfolk, too afraid or too busy to explore the forest or enjoy its wild life. She however took advantage of the fauna who had never come to fear people for that very reason. Akari was able to approach the creatures, photograph them and observing their behavior as if she wasn't even there.

She really should have pursued some style of biology instead of farming, she loved observing animals, deciphering their behavior and how it affected their habitat- But all work and no play made Jack a dull boy, and Akari wanted to ensure that she always enjoyed her outings. She figured it was better to have a responsibility to escape from rather than nothing to look forward to after work. Not to say that she didn't enjoy her work on the farm...

Nearly the third season in, and Akari had run Madrona Ranch without incident. Her father grew up farming, so it was in her blood. She quickly and easily taught herself how to cultivate the land to its peak output, and caring for the animals took no second thoughts.

Yes, the farming was no challenge, and she slowly learned to enjoy, even love, the hands on work. The town, on the other hand, she could do without. It was the smallest place she could find, she even compromised on the quality of the buildings and size of the fields for a smaller population, yet even here people were just as annoying as ever, maybe even more so than other places she had lived. So _needy_. Simple minded. They never left Akari alone. The Mayor even took it upon himself to visit her home at the crack of dawn each day before there was a festival, to ask if she would attend. Goddess, that better end after her first year…

And what's with these bells? Akari didn't sign up for this shit. Celestial beings didn't need a farmer to solve the land's problems. Trying to recruit her with that flying hyperactive sprite… The Goddess wasn't waking early every morning to work so she could feed herself and the animals, no. They could handle this one without her.

Dismissing the annoying quest and avoiding the townsfolk, Akari managed to maintain a more than modest life style. She completed her work on the farm quite early each morning, gliding through the watering and feeding and harvesting routines with ease. She did not have to spend her afternoons supplementing her income, because none of her produce or profit went into social gifting or spending. This left Akari's afternoons to her disposal.

And so, with another free night to waste, she stared up into the night sky, wondering if she would see the silvery haired man again that night.


	2. Bi-Colored Hues

**Short chapter. Another to follow tonight. **

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The first time Akari had encountered the white haired man was early in the summer months. One afternoon, as she was heading out of the forest, he happened to be on the opposite side of the door coming in. After regaining herself from the startle she sidestepped, allowing him passes through (who puts a door on trail heads, by the way). In that brief moment, no words were exchanged, yet Akari still took in his full appearance. His hair was silvery reflecting the moon light, cut in a choppy manner and braided on one side, skin tanned dark from what must have been millennia in the sun- yet it still appeared smooth to the touch. Boots, white pants and a blue cloak covered most of him, silver chains hung from his neck and a small telescope stuck out from his bag.

Akari also managed a glimpse at his eyes as he glided past, bi-colored. His right was a golden hue, somewhat like amber crystallized from tree sap, and the left was as green as the forest. And below his right eye a tattoo decorated his cheek, a solid white line above three downward pointed triangles.

He had quite the striking appearance, to say the least. Akari wondered where he had come from; she had never seen him in town. From then on she only ever found him in the forest, passing him on trails or seeing him reading in a clearing. A kindred soul, she would think.

For the first few weeks of encounters the man didn't seem to notice her at all. He would gather mushrooms and other plants, or read and stargaze like her. Akari found herself visiting the forest more frequently, taking paths that she knew he favored, just to get a passing glance at the man. She found herself intrigued for the first time by a person whom she had never even spoken to before.

Then some point midsummer, their encounters changed. The silver haired man focused his bi-colored hues on her.

Though she sought to find him in the forest whenever she went, the first night of this made her slightly uncomfortable. The nameless man settled himself a fair distance from her with a book, but didn't seem interested with the open pages. Instead, he cast his gaze on her, observing her for sometimes hours.

After a week, Akari adjusted. He never bothered her, and fortunately his presence didn't upset the wild life. So she continued her nights just as before: photography, relaxing and escaping…


	3. Challenge

**Thank you for reading this far :) Enjoy the cliff hanger. You know you like it. **

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Fall was in its full glory now, vibrant reds and oranges and yellows replaced the lime greens of the birch trees at the forest's entrance. The depths of the forest stayed mostly unchanged, the pine trees holding their needles sturdy for the winter in defiance. Akari again found herself at her favorite clearing. Much of the wild life was scampering about; collecting and hiding food in a frantic furry if they were not already busy clearing out dens or roosts for winter. This made them difficult subject to photograph, and with her telescope at home Akari found herself actually quite bored. With the rest on an afternoon to enjoy, she nestled up on a preferred napping tree and pulled out a book. As she looked for her page, she noticed the silver plated man across the field, a closed book in his hand.

Hm...

Akari slapped her book shut to deliberately match his and wriggled her body down so that her resting gaze was parallel to the ground. She centered the man in her gaze. Her returned gazed seemed not to affect him, he only continued his observations as before.

She wasn't sure why she decided to do this. Maybe because she just wanted an excuse to look at him.

Akari, trying out the man's own pass-time, felt herself becoming drowsy as the time passed. The soft moss beneath her and the chill air beckoned her to sleep. After what could have been one or three hours, her eyes started to pull themselves shut against her will, and Akari drifted into sleep.


	4. Ellipses

**I should start making my chapters longer.**

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Akari began to stir from her sleep. Warm blankets protecting her from the chill of the air, she was glad she woke up before her 6AM alarm so she could enjoy…

The smell of coffee?

She shot strait up, buzzed with adrenalin upon realizing she was not in her bed. An orange comforter slumped into her lap. Quickly she began to survey the surroundings. In the unfamiliar room there wasn't much, only bookshelves stuffed with texts and a desk cluttered with papers and whatever must have not fit on the selves. Some of the spines read: "Alchemy" "Botany" "Biology." Many of them were in foreign or dead languages that Akari couldn't read. At the opposite end of the room was a stair case to what might be a loft. And, at the center of the room, sat the silvery haired man drinking coffee and reading a book. "Psychology."

After absorbing her surroundings and calming herself down, only a little bit, Akari realized what had happened. She had fallen asleep in the forest. "It was cold last night… " The man spoke.

The first words she had heard him utter. He spoke slowly, deliberately, and with very little tone shift. "There's coffee… " He said, without pulling his eyes from the page. Surly enough there was a mug of Hot Coffee on the night stand beside her. She crossed her legs under the blankets and then carefully she took the cup and raised it to her lips, unsure what to say yet.

After finishing her cup in silence, Akari stood up, patted down yesterday's work clothes (and last night's pajamas) and headed for the door. As she grasped the handle, she turned around asking, in the way of an afterthought, "Why do you watch me, in the forest?"

Again, without lifting his eyes, "You're… Not like the other people… "


	5. Coffee Beans

The next evening, Akari entered the Fugue Forest with an agenda. She went straight to the regular clearing, almost certain that that's where the man would be. As soon as she spotted him, she headed over to his place in the grass instead of her usual tree. Once beside him, she tossed a bag of coffee beans into his lap. "Thank you for yesterday. I grew these this season, they should be to your taste."

He looked up from his book, "..." For the first time in two seasons, Akari thought she saw the slightest bit of emotion show on his face… Gratitude?

She then sat herself beside him and pulled out the book that she had attempted to read the previous day, and began to read alongside him. In the corner of her vision, she caught him glancing up at her for a long moment, eyes a little wider than usual, before he returned to his book.

That night Akari couldn't sleep. Her thoughts were keeping her restless and starring at the wall. She couldn't remove the image of the man from her mind- He was so interesting.

Not only was Akari drawn by his foreign appearance, something that caught her attention immediately, but she found herself curious about who he was. What he was like. With most people, she could read their thoughts just by looking at their faces. Not to mention they loved to blab on about themselves. But this man, well, she still didn't even know his name.

The next morning she got up at 6AM as usual and went through her morning routine. Tend the coop, feed the livestock, water, weed. Harvesting the coffee beans reminded her of the man's house, the thick smell of black coffee…

In retro-spect, that situation should have been really awkward, and would have been if it were any other two individuals that morning, but Akari left behind social emotions- things were really only weird if you made them weird. And, as she rapped lightly on the mysterious man's door that afternoon, she thought that he probably doesn't have very many awkward situations either.


	6. The Unfortunate Fortune Teller

Akari didn't wait for an answer after the first two knocks; she let herself into the home. There he was, sitting cross legged at his desk, a research book in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other.

Akari tossed a new bag of coffee beans onto his desk beside him.

"Thank you…"

Before Akari could think of a response, the door behind her burst open.

An overzealous Maya stood in the frame, orange plaits curling up on either side, wearing her bell shaped black winter dress.

She casually strode into the room, "Hey Akari! Are you here to read someone's mind too?!"

"Wha.. ?" Akari's face read utter confusion, and before she realized it, the man had already left his seat and was sitting in the center of the room where he was when she awoke in his house just a few days ago. Maya had made her way over to the other side of the small table, apparently too distracted to wait for a response from Akari.

"… Chase again? ..." He spoke, with possibly a hint of a relinquished tone, really unnoticeable as he pulled out a hazy crystal ball from his bag.

"Yes!" She hopped back and forth, letting out a small squeal as the ball was placed at the center of the table.

The man placed his hands over the crystal ball. He closed his eyes, and the clouds in the ball began to move slowly.

It was like a scene from a bad movie; Akari couldn't help but let a tiny giggle escape her lips. At this the man shot her a quick glance, glaring. She quickly covered her mouth with one hand, a playful "oops" gesture, and swallowed her muses respectfully.

Maya, still indifferent to Akari, seemed not to notice the small exchange that just occurred. Instead, she leaned forward over the pulsating, swirling crystal, her feet planted but her torso inching forward. Wide eyed, she let out a small feminine "oooooh." The movement of the clouds slowed, then ceased. The comical fortune teller aura dissipated as well.

"He's thinking about you… still…"

"Oh thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!" She sang Chase's name as she skipped out the door.

A moment of silence, and the man had made it over to his bed. He laid down, looking exhausted. He was clutching his head, a headache?

He let out a small painful groan. Akari got up and fetched an ice pack, "you don't enjoy doing that for people, do you?"

She placed the pack on his forehead. "No." Blunt response, but he wasn't too aggressive.

The man rested for a while, Akari put away the cold compress after the first few minutes. The rest of the time she spent at his desk, watching him, thinking about how strange he was and what was with that mind reading thing. If nothing else he really was interesting.

The man sat up slowly, bringing Akari back from her day dreams. " … Sorry…"

"Don't worry about it. My name's Akari, by the way."

" … You can call me Wizard."


	7. An Unexpected Gift

**My boyfriend told me after reading this chapter that I had introduced the relationship too quickly. Hmm.**

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The days that ensued were not much different. Akari still tended her farm and went out on her free time, what she had always done. But now she made it a point to sit by the wizard when she found him in the forest, and she always gave him a pack of coffee beans. Occasionally she would bring him one of those purple mushrooms that glittered, those he seemed to enjoy receiving the most.

If Akari didn't find him in the forest, she would visit his house and stay a while, perusing his book collection or watching him practice his alchemy. Neither cared much for talking, but welcomed the other's company.

One night, Akari found herself lying in the first clearing along the main trail, staring up at the stars. She heard the soft crunch, crunch, of boots approaching from behind. A small smile graced her lips, only one person could create such soft footsteps with boots on. She resisted the urge to roll over and watch him gracefully approach and instead she laid motionless until he was only a few feet behind her head.

"Hey Wiz," she didn't know if he was ok with the nickname, but he never protested so she insisted on using it.

He looked down and to just the right of her, with his hand awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "Why don't we… Use my observatory tonight… "

"Oh?" Akari, interested, shifted and rolled to face his boots. "Lead the way then," she responded with the same puff of air that she used to push herself up and pull her feet beneath her. They started down the path together.

They rounded the curb and made it to the wizard's home in good time, winter had taken hold of the town now and the night was incredibly cold, the snow that had fallen weeks before would stay around until spring. Upon entering, the wizard unhooked the brass clasp on his cloak and hung it on his desk chair. As Akari admired the tight fitting black turtle neck underneath, she wondered what would cause him to heat up so much that he needed to remove his cloak for the first time ever in her presence (even during summer).

He turned to meet her gaze, "… Upstairs" Then he looked across the room at the staircase. Of all the times that she had been over, Akari never invited herself to the second story, but she could see that there was a massive telescope hiding up there. When they ascended she found that there indeed was an observatory in the somewhat tiny loft, star charts covered the walls where the two bookshelves were not. Papers containing what appeared to be mythological creatures on them were pushed to one side of the room, most of the books could be identified as tales from old cultures.

The wizard knelt by the eye piece of a beautiful telescope that poked out from his ceiling, so that's why he never had air conditioning or heating, she thought. He delicately adjusted dials and fine knobs on the device, rotating the contraption slightly to the side and repeating the process of tuning. He then sat back on a pillow beside the telescope and motioned for her to look. He spoke softly as she lowered herself to view, "These are your stars… Aren't they?"

Akari, a bit surprised by the question, peered into the eye piece, focusing on a constellation. "That magic stuff you do is real, isn't it…" She said, in awe and understanding. The constellation that the lens was focused on was the winter constellation that she had been born under.

He leaned forward and closed some of the gap that was between them, "Winter 22… Here." The wizard held out his closed hand to her, fingers down. She looked again surprised, eyeing him before she half extended her arm to meet his, her cupped hand just below his loose fist. They both stared at her hand as he poured a silver chain into it, she felt a soft pat on her palm where the pendant fell with the cascade of reflective metal.

"You know, I didn't tell anyone here my birthday," she pulled the gift back and began to examine it. The chain was thin and delicate, yet very strong. The pendant was woven silver worked around a perfectly cut crystal. "Thank you, it's beautiful," her cheeks became slightly rosy. She never thought she would be receiving a present here. She slipped it around her thin neck, the heavy pendant finding a place low on her chest.

"The symbol… It's for a curious soul…" There was a considerable amount of compassion in his voice, and he was defiantly nervous, too. Akari then realized what had caused him to remove his cloak.

Akari smiled, leaned over and placed a tender kiss on his lips, "Show me another constellation."

The two peered through the scope for hours, late into the remainder of the night. Finally the wizard yawned, and pulled himself up from their shared cushion. "I'm going to bed…"

"Alright, may I stay a while longer?"

He hesitated, then responded, "… Whatever you like Akari…" He then carried himself down the stairs, his footsteps making no noise with his boots removed.

Once he made it to his bed, his belt was also off. His shirt slipped off over his head, leaving his silver necklaces to clatter back to his chest. Then followed his white pants, and now in his boxers, the wizard lowed himself into his bed. He pulled the comforter and sheets over him, positioning himself on his right side facing the wall and drifted into a light sleep.

After looking trough some of the illustrations of the constellations they saw, Akari felt herself getting tired as well. She decided she better get going, there was work to be done tomorrow. Trotting down the stairs she pulled on her gloves and hat and wrapped her scarf tightly. Akari found her way to the door and held onto the handle. Here she turned, to thank Wizard again for the birthday gift. There she saw him, curled up on one side of his bed wrapped tightly against the cold.

"Wiz?"


	8. Not Yet Ready to Leave

The Wizard supplied no response. Akari paused, motionless at the door for a few long moments. She desperately wanted him to peer up, start talking to her, so she could make some excuse not to leave. Not only was it cold outside, but she wasn't ready to go home.

She began to feel strange, standing still in the dark taking no action. She didn't really need a reason, it's not like Wizard would question her if she decided to stay. No, he never questioned her, and really never asked anything of her.

Finally she moved. Slipping off her shoes and leaving them by the door, then she quietly removed the winter gear that she had just dawned. Akari was going to spend the night. She moved over to the desk, placing the gloves down neatly, then her hat, then her folded scarf. She nudged off her jacket and it fell around her wrists as she unbuttoned her jeans. These too became neatly folded and added to the pile of clothes. All that was left was her short yellow work shirt and her undergarments. She carefully unclipped and slipped her arms out of her bra straps to pull the piece of fabric and wire from under her shirt. That she tucked between her pants and jacket, though she wasn't sure why she was so shy about it being atop of the pile.

The air held a slight nip, and she quickly took the few steps to her host's bed. With the prior hesitation she held now pushed aside, Akari slipped under the covers. She positioned herself alongside him, and slipped her arm around his chest.

These motions were enough to disturb him from his sleep. He turned quickly to his left, finding Akari looking at him tentatively. "Akari…?" He seemed quite surprised, and Akari was proud of herself for catching the usually calm and collected man off guard.

The rest of his sentence, if he even had one, was cut short by a kiss. Perfectly placed, Akari locked their lips together. After a short moment, the wizard realized what was happening and returned her kiss. He was now on his back, Akari wrapped tightly around him. Her left arm held his chest and the other tucked under his neck, like she was holding a pillow. Her left leg matched her arm and hooked over his lower body.

She felt him stiffen against her thigh. Akari giggled slightly, he must have just noticed her bare skin. What a wonderful thing to get a reaction out of the wizard.

"… Uh, Akari… I…" She kissed him again, to disrupt his thoughts. Then once more, for herself.

"All I need is for you to hold me while I sleep tonight, is that ok?" She gave him one more soft, pleading kiss, pulling her lips away slowly so the bottom two stuck together for just a moment, before she lowered her head to his chest.

"Alright… " he responded after a long pause, then wrapped her in a tender, yet firm, embrace.


	9. Magic Coffee

Akari habitually awoke at 6AM in the same position she fell asleep in. The room glowed slightly from the soft light emitted by the sun, still not over the peeks in the distance. Wizard was still on his back, sleeping. His features soft from sleep, he looked so peaceful.

Now that there was some light, Akari could finally get a good look at him. His tan complexion carried over his entire body, maybe he really was born with such contrasting hair and skin tones… His body was well defined, not too thin and not to built. His right shoulder and upper arm held markings similar to those on his cheek, bold white lines. The pattern somewhat resembled the one on his cloak sleeves, actually. Wonder what those are... And when does he find time to work out? The more time Akari spent with this man, the more questions she had about him.

Resisting the temptations of staying wrapped up away from the cold, Akari stepped out of bed. The wizard rustled a bit and turned to see Akari getting up.

"Good morning sleepy head," she yawned, reaching both of her arms up over her head in a stretch. The motion pulled her shirt up, exposing the lower curves of her breasts. The wizard quickly turned to face the opposite direction, a slight rosiness heating his cheeks. Akari smiled, how cute.

She walked over to her rucksack and pulled out a Hot Coffee. She never understood how a hot mug of coffee could stay pristine in her bag without spilling or becoming cold, but hell, if she also couldn't conceive a child until her home was at level three, then coffee could be magic too.

She leaned over and gave the wizard his coffee, tilting his head so that he was facing her again.

"Drink up, you're going to come help me on the farm today." She said in a matter-o'-fact style. The wizard looked started.

"I- I don't know how to farm…" Akari gave him a kiss to sooth his worry, and smiled.

"Don't worry about it, I'll show you how to do everything. Now drink your coffee."


	10. Hot Spring

**This was an unexpected turn in the plot. Took the advice, building more background. I realize this is now chapter 10, so for you perverts who were looking for more lemon, I'll make it up to you and show you the Witch's chest later if you keep reading. Deal?**

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Akari turned off the shower and grabbed the deep navy towel the wizard had given her to dry her hair. The towel was old, well worn and fading yet still in pretty good condition despite its apparent age. Once she seeped as much of the water from her hair as she could, she began drying her limbs, then her torso. Hot showers were always so nice in the morning, but she hated the sticky feeling of her skin against the towel after. She hurriedly pulled on her clothes, the steam was slowly dissipating and she realized that it was still winter in an unheated home.

As she entered the main room again, she found the wizard finished with his coffee and dressed.

"Want me to make us something for breakfast?" She asked.

"No… I'm alright…"

"Ok, well I'm not quite hungry yet so let's get going." She smiled, she was excited to show him her animals and crops.

"… Sure." He replied sheepishly.

The two headed out the door, down the road to Akari's ranch. The cold air combined with her still partially damp hair gave Akari chills. At least it wasn't long anymore, she was glad she decided to cut it once she started her farm work; otherwise it would be such a hassle. The two engaged in a little small talk along the way, nothing special. "Alright, here we are," Akari announced as they entered her property. They walked up the dirt pathway to her house.

"Hm.. " Akari glanced at the wizard quizzically. "Lets get you some gloves."

She opened her door, gesturing for him to enter as well. As soon as they were in, her two cats meowed happily and sauntered over to rub against her feet. She knelt to pet the two needy felines. "Sorry I didn't come home last night you guys," she spoke apologetically, scratching their chins and behind their ears. She glanced up at Wizard, who was observing. "This is Cortez," she said petting the orange cat, "and this one's Alabaster," motioning to the white cat on her other side. She was now sitting, letting the two curl up in her lap.

"They really do seem to have missed you… "

"I found them outside, in Harmonica town actually, with no caring for them. I brought them fish and other treats when I could, and eventually they both just followed me home." She stood up, brushing the two disappointed cats off of her, "but now they really won't leave me alone." She said playfully.

She walked over to the side of her bed and began rummaging around in a short tool box. "Aha!" She turned and tossed a pair of scratchy, canvas gloves into the wizard's chest. He reached up and grabbed them before they fell. "Sorry they're not fabulous, but they're the only ones that I have to fit you. And, I don't want you ruining those soft hands of yours." She teased him, playfully.

Wizard blushed as he put the gloves on. Akari really did love to see him squirm and go pink when she got him flustered. "… They're just fine… Thank you."

"Alright, we can get to work then, follow me." Akari lead him to the chicken coop. "Here," she handed him a feed bag. "Poor some down both of the troughs; I'll collect up all of the eggs."

"Uh.. Alright… " He nodded and began his task. Akari gingerly searched for eggs in the hay of each nest, but made sure to keep an eye on the wizard. Any moment now…

As soon as he began to poor the seed out into the trays, the ducks and especially the chickens realized that he was now responsible for their food. The clucking picked up, and Akari watched as the poultry swarmed the unsuspecting man. His expression quickly turned from concentration to panic; Akari giggled, a little more manically than usual. "Ah, Akari?" He spoke in a quicker tone than normal.

Akari put on a straight face, "What? You're doing great," she waved him off passively, "just keep it up." She turned back to the eggs, trying not to giggle too loudly.

He realized that she had abandoned him and wrinkled his brow, back in concentration mode. Akari watched from the corner of her vision as he awkwardly stepped about the frantic chickens, trying to get as much of the feed as he could into the troughs.

As soon as the feed bag was empty, he sighed with relief as he sat against a wall. Akari wandered over, basket full of high quality eggs, "ready to see the livestock?"

"As long as I'm not in charge of the food…" Akari giggled and helped him up.

"Sorry about that, but you handled it well." She smiled supportively and led him to the barn. "Don't worry the live stalk is much more peaceful," she pulled out a brush. "Here, why don't you brush everyone?" To apologize for the chicken incident, she told him that she would help him thru this one.

They started with her first cow, "Here, this is Bessie." She pet the old heifer and she let out a grateful moo. The wizard looked a little intimidated, but more ready than before. Akari took his hand, and gently placed it on the cow's head, Bessie didn't seem to mind at all. "There, see? She even likes you."

"A- Alright… " He relaxed, and rubbed behind her ear as Akari had.

"Ok, so you want to brush her along the way her hair grows, like this… " Akari took his other hand with the brush in it and move it down the girl's side. "Got it?"

"… Yeah," he said tentatively, then began to brush her by himself.

"Great," Akari smiled happily, he might be quiet but he was very quick to catch on, and she was sure he could finish up with the rest of the animals. "I'll get their food and product; just give each of them your attention." She walked off to the feed silo.

After doling out the hay and milking her cows, Akari inspected each of her animal's coats. Quite clean and shiny, even the sheep that she needed to sheer. Akari was well impressed by the wizard's work. "Hey," Akari then looked up to thank him and she found him wrestling with a baby goat over a glove, "Obie! Stop that!" She grabbed the little goat and placed her fingers at the corners of his jaw, pushing up with the index and middle, pulling down with her thumb. The glove fell free and the wizard stumbled from the release in tension. "Sorry about him, he's not even a season old if you can believe that. Still doesn't know what he is allowed to chew on."

The wizard returned the glove to his hand, a little blush on his cheeks. The two then went out to the Starter Plot where Akari was growing Buckwheat. She also had purchased the River Plot, but that was used as her orchard (She was confused as to why she had to purchase the damn thing, it was already on her land and she had assumed that it and the other large plot were a part of the deal…) and being winter none of the trees were currently producing fruit.

Akari examined the plants, almost ready for harvest. Sigh… That means she would have to feed each individual crop of Buckwheat into the mill… What a pain… A mental rain cloud formed over Akari's head for a moment, raindrops washing over her face with a 'Do I have to? _Really_?' expression, before she realized she had company and snapped back into form. Fishing around in her pack she pulled out a watering can and handed to the wizard, she explained where to refill it if he ran out of water, and that each plant will only need to be watered once. "I'm going to pick some weeds over in the other field, alright? Shouldn't take me long." She took off for the other field.

She quickly finished her work, even checking the trees bark to make sure the cold hadn't gotten to them too badly, then headed back over to the field. Light was finally shining on the farm, but the clear skies and frigid whips of wind weren't letting the sun do its job. Akari found herself still quite chilled, and when she reached the field she saw the wizard sitting on the shipping bin, quite exhausted from his work. "All done?"

He nodded.

"Alright, now one more thing left to do." She said this almost happily.

Wizard leaned back over the bin and looked at her upside-down, "… Oh?"

"This way." She smiled and led him back behind the barn, the wind didn't blow as harshly back here blocked by the buildings and the outcropping of rock that ended her back property. The air became warm as they came upon a hot spring, hidden in the rocks. "Pretty, huh?"

The wizard looked relieved that this was the destination. The air was filled with steam from the contrast in temperature between the air and the water, rising up bringing its humid heat with it. Akari quickly pulled off her coat and unbuttoned her pants. "You ever been in an outdoor spring? It's a wonderful way to relax after work. Come on, it'll be nice." She pulled her pants down the rest of the way.

"A-Akari I don't have anything to… Cover myself with." He looked down and away, scratching his head.

"Well if you're going to be shy I just won't look then," she confidently pulled off the rest of her garments, leaving only her panties, and stepped into the hot pool. She looked at him, covered her eyes and turned away with her hand still over her face, sinking onto a groove in the rocks where she could relax her muscles.

For a moment she couldn't hear him moving, but then he made a small noise still in protest and she could make out the sounds of his silver necklaces being moved about. Then a moment more, and small plunk as he joined her in the water. "… Alright."

"See, I told you it would be nice," she removed her hand from her eyes and found him more than a few feet away, his chest submerged. The water was relatively motionless but the surface still distorted the rest of his body from her view. She glided over to him, still chin deep in the water, and grabbed his hand. She gave him a quick kiss, then sat behind him, and pulled him down to sit between her open legs, now her chest slightly protruded from the water and pressed up against his back.

She felt him quickly tense his body, and tighten his hand around hers. She could tell his face was turning red. Akari leaned back a bit, pulling her hand free gently and began to kneed at the muscles in his back with her palm and knuckles. "You really shouldn't be so shy around me," she scolded in a somewhat patronizing way. "I've known you for a few seasons now and you still blush madly if I even bump into you." Secretly, it excited her quite a bit that she could pull those reactions from him, but telling him that would spoil the fun of it.

"I'm sorry, it's just… "

"Hm?" Still massaging his back. Very firm, she was impressed.

"Well, you're the first person I've been around, in a really long time… It's difficult to adjust." He spoke quietly, and even relaxed a little bit, leaning back into her hands slightly. "To be honest… You're also quite... Brazen."

… Not really the romantic words she was hoping for, but she was none the less happy to get a real sentence from him. Akari pulled him close and kissed his neck, she wrapped a leg around placing her foot between his knees and rested her head against his back.

"And Akari?" She lifted her head, "Thank you for today. I enjoyed myself."


	11. A Big Fat Scary Pink Toad

_The two continued to devote their time together, free time and work time alike. _

_Akari had found another being that she was intrigued by, someone to further her understanding of the world, to challenge her thinking and help develop her opinions. And, more unexpectedly, someone that she genuinely enjoyed to be around, to share her life and interests with._

_The once solitary Wizard was fascinated by this human that was so curious and insightful; she wanted to know how his alchemy practice worked, about everything he was reading. She brought up the sides of conversations that he had never thought of before and brought a new perspective into the way he thought. She evoked something in him he was not accustomed to... emotions. He… Enjoyed his time with her. _

* * *

Soon winter melted away to leave a lush spring. Before Akari realized it, she was harvesting her first crop of Strawberries. The winter had passed her by very quickly, much of her time she spent with the wizard. Watching the stars while he told her stories about the mythology surrounding them, collecting things from the forest for his work, teaching him about cultivation. He had really opened up to her, talking much more freely.

After she finished up the last of her chores, Akari put threw together two lunches, primarily composed of that morning's harvest, and gingerly placed them in her Rucksack. She often shared meals with the man, especially after noticing that he hardly ate if it was left to his responsibility. You'd think such a knowledgeable person would know that it isn't healthy to only consume coffee…

Once she reached Harmonica Town she slowed her horse. She had taken the path to Wizard's so many times that her horse knew the way and made the rest of the way to the wizard's home without any guidance from Akari. She hitched the horse to the fence round the side with a decent amount of slack for motility, and left an apple on the fence post as always. She then let herself in, locating the wizard at his desk, as he typically is, reading.

Without looking up, "You know, you don't need to bring me food all the time Akari… "

"Well, at least you're always ready when I arrive; I suppose that's something to be gained from you spying on me with that crystal of yours," she leaned over to kiss his forehead and hand him his lunch.

They settled down at the small center table and began to eat, Akari digging into the food and Wizard slowly enjoying the home cooked meal. Small talk was exchanged between bites, until Akari remembered something important she wanted to ask. "Mhh!" her eyes lit up and she painfully swallowed her mouthful of half chewed food, "So, you know that witch who lives in the swamp right?" She pointed her chopsticks at him and leaned forward over the small table. "At the very end of that forest trail that we always walk?"

The wizard choked on his mouthful, looking unsettled for a second "Not that I enjoy her company… "

"Well, apparently," she replied, shoveling more food into her mouth, "she has turned herself into a toad."

The wizard continued with a blank expression.

"I heard the Garmon kids talking about it while I was at the general store. I traded them some candy to hear all about their 'spooky story' about a big fat scary pink toad. They say it was wearing a pointy black hat and chased them out of the swamp. I wonder if their parents know that they're playing in the witch's swamp unsupervised… " She trailed off while scraping rice from the side of her lunch box.

The wizard sighed deeply. "I told her this would happen. I warned her that the potion she was brewing wasn't right. She always does such reckless things… "

Akari giggled at his exasperation. "So should we do something about it? She obviously can't fix herself in that state."

He furrowed his brow and picked up his book, "Or we could just leave her for a while longer… "

"Oh come onnn, It will be ok. Besides, I've never actually met her. And those kids said the toad has been there for a while, I'm sure she would be grateful for the assistance."

"Over a year, actually… " Akari's face read something like 'You're kidding.' "… I guess I can make something. Will you go with me tonight?"

She smiled gratefully, "only if you promise to walk me home after."


End file.
